House panel debate shows divide over Syria resolution

Sep. 4, 2013
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Secretary of State John Kerry arrives to address the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is confronted by protesters opposed to US intervention on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 4, 2013. / Jim Watson, AFP/Getty Images

by Susan Davis, USA TODAY

by Susan Davis, USA TODAY

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WASHINGTON - The Obama administration's push for congressional approval of military strikes on Syria continued Wednesday in the GOP-led U.S. House, where Secretary of State John Kerry compared inaction against Syria to early efforts to appease Nazi Germany.

"I mean, that would be one of those moments in history that will live in infamy," he said, making reference to the 1938 Munich Agreement and the U.S. refusal in 1939 to accept a boat of Jewish passengers, many of whom later died in concentration camps. "There are moments where you have to make a decision. And I think this is one of those moments," Kerry said, noting that Syria stands accused of killing more than 1,400 people - including hundreds of children - in chemical weapons attacks.

Despite his emotional appeals to lawmakers' sense of humanity and how history will view their vote, the hearing highlighted ongoing opposition in both parties and called in to question whether a majority of House lawmakers can support a resolution authorizing military action.

Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., said he had no doubts that the Obama administration has proven chemical weapons were used, but said the limited airstrikes envisioned in the resolution may have little impact. "This will not stop the butchering and the killing that takes place over there. So what is the purpose? What is the endgame here? Where is the imminent danger to the United States?" he asked.

Kerry, joined by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee following a Tuesday appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The officials have also engaged with lawmakers in a number of classified briefings. The Senate panel approved a joint resolution, 10-7, to authorize limited military strikes. The full Senate is scheduled to vote next week, as is the House.

In the Senate, Obama is likely to need 60 votes to overcome a potential filibuster, and 217 votes are necessary in the House. There are two vacant seats in the 435-seat chamber.

The 46-member House panel is populated by some of the more vocal opponents of the administration's military effort on both the left and right, including liberal Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., who is whipping opposition to the joint resolution, and a faction of conservative freshman lawmakers, such as Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., who already announced his opposition.

But the Obama administration also found unlikely allies on the panel. GOP Reps. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., both veterans, said they would support the resolution. Kinzinger invoked former president Bill Clinton, who has spoken of his regret about not acting during the 1990s in the Rwandan genocide.

"And I wonder in 20, 10, 50 years what are we going to say if we did nothing about the gassing of thousands of people in Syria?" Kinzinger said.

Lawmakers sought and received assurances that no U.S. troops will be placed on the ground in Syria, as well as estimates on what the military strike would cost. Hagel estimated it would be in the "tens of millions."

It was clear that lawmakers remain skeptical about what the mission will accomplish, particularly as administration officials acknowledge that the goal is not to remove Bashar Assad's regime or eliminate the nation's chemical weapons stockpile.

"This isn't about eliminating chemical weapons. That's not possible given the number and the distribution of them. It's about convincing the Assad regime that it's unacceptable for them to use them, and that's the limit of this military operation," Dempsey explained.

Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., the final lawmaker to speak after four hours of testimony, told the officials that he thought a stronger case still needed to be made to convince the public, and asked Kerry whether Obama intends to address the nation before Congress votes next week.